Cigarette pack conveying mechanism



Dec. 28, 1965 G, GAMBERIN] 3,226,163

CIGARETTE PACK CONVEYING MECHANISM Filed Oct. 30, 1965 INVENTOR.

GOFFREDO GAMBERINI ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,226,163 CIGARETTE PACK CONVEYING MECHANISM Goffredo Gamberini, Bologna, Italy, assiguor, by mesne assignments, to American Machine & Foundry Company, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Oct. 30, 1963, Ser. No. 320,190 Claims priority, application Italy, Nov. 26, 1962, 23,541/ 62 4 Claims. (Cl. 302-2) The present invention relates to installations of pneumatic conveyance for packages of cigarettes or other similar objects, in wich installations the single packages of cigarettes are blown or preferably sucked from the outgoing station to the incoming station directly in a duct of rectangular section or corresponding to that of the package or of the object conveyed.

The invention has for its object a special discharge device of the packages from the conveyor duct in the arrival station, and aims at eliminating the known tight rotating discharge organs, thus obtaining considerable functional advantages as well as advantages of simplicity and economy of the installation.

For this purpose, according to the invention, the terminal section of the conveyor duct is tangential to the conveyor suction belt and is delimited on the corresponding side at least partially by this suction conveyor belt. In this way, the incoming packages are drawn in by the suction conveyor belt, which forces them to follow its movement at the exit from the conveyor duct, then conveying them to the subsequent devices for treatment or transportation.

The terminal section of the conveyor duct, tangential to the suction conveyor belt and delimited at least partially by this belt, generally presents a free and always open outlet, but preferably slightly narrower than the remaining section of the tube, for the purpose of obtaining a better closing. This terminal section may extend in any direction, preferably substantially horizontal or more or less inclined upward or downward, gradually connecting the preceding, preferably substantially vertical section of the conveyor duct.

Preferably, according to another characteristic of the invention, the speed of the suction conveyor belt is equal to or little higher than the speed of the incoming packages. Despite their considerable speed, the incoming packages therefore come down on the conveyor belt very gently, without shock or bouncing harmful to the cigarettes.

In suction installations in which in the incoming station the terminal section of the conveyor duct is connected to the suction fan at a certain distance from the outlet of that duct, the invention causes the further advantage that in the terminal section of the conveyor duct there is generated-by effect of the suction conveyor belt--a stream of air which moves in the direction of arrival and advance of the packages, so that it neutralizes the countercurrent which would otherwise be formed by the outlet of the duct toward the point of connection of the suction fan and would thus hinder the proper discharge of the packages.

These and other characteristics of the invention and the advantages deriving therefrom will become evident from the following description of a preferred form of construction, illustrated by way of non-limitative example in the only figure of the annexed drawing which represents, in elevation and partially in section, the arrival station of a pneumatic conveyor installation for packages of cigarettes.

In the drawing, 1 denotes the last, substantially vertical section of the duct of rectangular section of a pneumatic conveyor installation for packages of ciga- Patented Dec. 28, 1965 rettes P or the like. The vertical section 1 of the conveyor duct is connected at 2 to the suction tube 3 of a suitable suction fan 4. The suction tube 3 is provided with valves 5 for adjustment of the suction and forms with the vertical section 1 of the conveyor duct a small angle, for example of the order of 5-15 degrees, in order to reduce to a minimum the losses of pressure of the air movement.

The vertical section 1 of the conveyor duct is connected with a suitable curve 101 to a substantially horizontal terminal section 201. The lower (or bottom) longitudinal wall of this horizontal terminal section 201 of the conveyor duct is shorter by at least a certain amount than the end of said section, and is formed with a substantially horizontal suction conveyor cloth 6 which moves in the same incoming direction as the packages of cigarettes P and extends for any desired distance beyond the outlet 301 of the conveyor duct. The suction cloth 6 may be constructed in a variety of Ways. In the example illustrated, the cloth 6 is perforated and runs tightly on the upper mouth of a fixed suction chamber 9, in which a vacuum is created and maintained by means of the suction fan 10, connected to said chamber 9 by means of the tubes 11 and mouths 111. The perforated cloth 6 is stretched between two rolls 7 and 8, of which one, 7, is mounted on a movable support for regulating the tension of said cloth 6, while the other, 8, is driven by means of any suitable transmission 12. The suction chamber 9, the suction cloth 6, and the various ducts 1, 101, 201, 3, 11, are mounted on a suitable frame 13, preferably covered with insulating material and containing in a single cavity two suction fans 4, 10.

The suction cloth 6 preferably runs at a speed equal to or little higher than the incoming speed of the packages of cigaretttes P. Moreover, the horizontal terminal section 201 of the conveyor duct, delimited below by the suction cloth 6, preferably presents an open outlet 301 and narrows progressively toward this outlet, so that the packages of cigarettes P issuing therefrom bring about a good, sufiiciently tight closing of said outlet 301. Lastly, according to a preferred construction, the vertical section 1 of the conveyor duct, before the arrival curve 101, and/or the horizontal terminal section 201 of that duct, delimited below by the suction cloth 6, are inspectable separately, being formed atleast partially by independent elements, made up of a sheet metal framework and of a transparent part of glass or suitable synthetic resin.

Under the above conditions, the individual package: of cigarettes P traveling in the conveyor duct go past the suction mouth 2 connected to the suction fan 4 and pass into the horizontal terminal section 201 of that duct, where they rest on the perforated suction cloth 6 which moves with a speed equal to or slightly greater than the arrival speed of the packages. In this manner the packages P adhere by suction on the conveyor cloth 6 and are taken along by it out of the conveyor duct through the constricted outlet 301 thereof.

It is evident at once that the packages of cigarettes P are received by the suction conveyor cloth 6 gently and without shock or bouncing harmful to the cohesion of the cigarettes, as they come down tangentially on said cloth 6 and as the latter moves at a speed equal to or slightly greater than that of the packages. The speed of the cloth is preferably regulated according to the number of incoming packages per unit time and according to their dimension and weight, so that they are properly spaced from each other.

The Suction exerted by the cloth 6 causes in the terminal section 201, 101, 1 of the conveyor duct, downstream from the suction mouth 2, a strong current of air in the same direction as the incoming movement of the individual packages of cigarettes P. This current of air neutralizes the countercurrent which would form in the absence of the suction cloth 6in the opposite direction to that of arrival of the packagesbetween the outlet 301 of the conveyor duct and the suction mouth 2, and this countercurrent would hinder the proper fall of the packages P in the vertical section 1, conferring to them a tendency to float. This advantageous effect of the suction cloth 6 is supported by the progressive narrowing of the horizontal terminal section 201 of the duct toward the outlet 301, thus obtaining a better closing of said outlet by the packages P themselves.

In its last section, beyond the suction chamber 9, the cloth 6 may lose its suction action. At any rate, the cloth 6 transports the packages of cigarettes P to any desired deposit or further conveying device or to any other machine for treatment or handling of the packages, for example to a"'grouping or wrapping machine or the like.

Preferably, after coming out of the outlet 301 of the conveyor duct, the packages of cigarettes P move in a special open runway, sufiiciently long to permit manual intervention for the purpose of eliminating the defective packages.

Naturally the invention is not limited to the form just described and illustrated, but may be amply varied and modified, especially structurally, for example by inclining downward or upward the terminal section 201 of the conveyor duct and/or inclining more or less on the vertical the preceding section 1 of that duct. Moreover,

the invention is not limited to pneumatic installations for said packages to a receiving station in a plane perpendicular to said predetermined plane, said device comprising a terminal duct section adjoining and disposed at substantially right angles to said conveyor duct section, said terminal duct section having one wall open at least in part along the length thereof, an air permeable endless movable conveyor belt located in said opening and delimiting said terminal duct section,'and'means applying suction through said belt whereby said package may be positively conveyed from said conveyor duct section.

2. The device according to claim 1 including means for varying the speed of movement of the endless belt to vary the rate at which the packages are conveyed from the conveyor duct section.

3. The device according to claim 1 wherein the conveyor duct section is disposed substantially vertically and the terminal duct section is disposed-substantially horizontally and includes a curved connectingduct.

4. The device according to claim 3 in which the duct sections have a substantially rectangular cross section and in which the bottom wall of said terminal duct section is open and delimited by the endless-conveyorbelt, said belt being disposed in a substantially horizontal plane. 1 .h References Cited by the Examiner V UNITED STATES PATENTS 856,109 6/1907 Stoetzel 3022 892,912, 7/1908 Sullivan 302l2 906,176 12/ 1908 Westbrook 302-23 2,489,025 11/1949 Gent 302-2 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,200,392 6/1959 France.

SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner.

ANDRES H. NIELSEN, Examiner. 

1. IN A PNEUMATIC CONVEYOR FOR PACKAGES OF CIGARETTES OR THE LIKE HAVING A CONVEYOR DUCT SECTION DISPOSED IN A PREDETERMINED PLANE, A DISCHARGE DEVICE FOR DELIVERING SAID PACKAGES TO A RECEIVING STATION IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR A SAID PREDETERMINED PLANE, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING A TERMINAL DUCT SECTION ADJOINING AND DISPOSED AT SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID CONVEYOR DUCT SECTION, SAID TERMINAL DUCT SECTION HAVING ONE WALL OPEN AT LEAST IN PART ALONG THE LENGTH THEREOF, AN AIR PERMEABLE ENDLESS MOVABLE CONVEYOR BELT LOCATED IN SAID OPENING AND DELIMITING SAID TERMINAL DUCT SECTION, AND MEANS APPLYING SUCTION THROUGH SAID BELT WHEREBY SAID PACKAGE MAY BE POSITIVELY CONVEYED FROM SAID CONVEYOR DUCT SECTION. 